"Dozens of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars gathered in Silver Spring, Maryland last weekend for the Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan Hearings, where they offered harrowing testimony about atrocities they had witnessed or participated in directly. The BBC predicted that the event, organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, 'could be dominating the headlines around the world this week'. The hearings were covered as far afield as the U.K., Australia, Croatia and Iran. Yet there has been an almost complete media blackout on this historic news event in the U.S. corporate media.

Despite being noted in the New York Times' Paris-based International Herald Tribune, Winter Soldier has yet to be mentioned in the New York Times itself. No major U.S. newspaper has covered the hearings except as a story of local interest; the few stories major U.S. newspapers have published on the event have focused on the participation of local vets." FAIR

We are so all going to hell for this and deservedly so.

A year ago I was still beginning my mornings by reading various news links: Riverbend at Baghdad Burning (who hasn't posted since October), Juan Cole at Informed Comment, Anti-War.com, Alternet.org and so on. After four years I realized I was reading the same things over and over and nothing was changing or likely to change.

At the same time it became important that I do something about my weight and fitness so I went on a news fast AND a diet & exercise program, eventually joining CK. It felt good to focus on something I could control and it's been a good year in many respects but now it's coming to an end and I feel like I'm ready to move on.